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Well, one third of October is gone already and Halloween is coming. But so is something more terrifying, at least for those who brave the challenge. November is Nanowrimo Month and I’ve signed up for it. For anyone unfamiliar with Nanowrimo, it’s quite simple. Starting on November 1st you have until the November 30th to write 50,000 words of a brand new novel. That’s right. You start a brand new novel from scratch at the beginning of the month and try to write at least 50,000 words in 30 days. It doesn’t mean the novel has to be completed, you just have to have written that amount of words for your novel.

Now to some this sounds easy, to others it sounds daunting. The object here is not to create finished product, but a first draft and have those 50,000 words of it done by the end of the month. It has been calculated that a person would need to do 1666 words per day, without missing a single day to make this goal. Easy right? Wrong! In my case, I will have to fight perfectionist tendencies and resist the temptation to go back and redo certain sections I’ve already written. This happens to me all the time while writing. So this will be one of the major challenges of the exercise. I have to remind myself that fixing areas and rewriting scenes is what 2nd, 3rd and 4th drafts are for. The purpose here is to get that 1st draft done period.

I’m hoping this experience will help me overcome that problem, which is one of the reasons why my 2nd novel has been taking so long. I keep going back and fixing areas or changing things which affect the rest of the 1st draft so I wind up doing more fixes elsewhere instead of just getting the damn story finished so I can go back and make changes. An unfinished story is an unfinished story, period. We’re not meant to have a perfect 1st draft, just a full story.

Oddly enough, I didn’t have this problem with my 1st novel “The Bridge”. It was more like a Nanowrimo story. I got the 1st draft done and then spent weeks cleaning it up. I need to get back to that mindset. Why did I change my habits? I think because I’m more aware of how rough the 1st draft of “The Bridge” was and I’m afraid of wincing over and over again at what I’ve done and trying to fix it. Getting a cleaner 1st draft seems to be what I’m trying for with “The Ship”, but it’s hampering my attempt to get to the final big climactic scene. I have to remind myself that those errors will be caught LATER! I dont’ have to work on them now.

As for what I’ve got planned for Nanowrimo? Well, it will involve vampires with the typical weaknesses of legend, yet there will be a twist that makes it fit in my Para-Earth Universe. That’s all I’ll say. I’m creating a bit of an outline and getting my characters lined up and getting to know who they are before I begin on November 1st. All of this is permitted in the rules. You just can’t start writing the actual story until November 1st.

So here’s to Nanowrimo. If you want to take a crack at it yourself, here’s the link to sign up:

I’ll be talking more about Nanowrimo in the coming weeks so stay tuned. I’ll try not to bore you all with it, but just share some of what I’m going through as it happens. I promise to still post about different parts of the writing process and giving tips. So until next time, good luck and keep writing.

PS: Here’s a sneak peak at what the cover for my Nanowrimo project may be. It’s not the final product, more of a work in progress. I want to do some more tweaking to the image, but I think this is close to what the final image may wind up being.

A lone word carved on a pillar of a fort that had once housed a colony of 90 people from 1587 until 1588 or ’89 perhaps? Who can say, because in 1590, there was no trace of the colonists who had made the isle of Roanoake their new home. No sign of a struggle or battle could be found, and the local native Americans on the island proclaimed no white men had ever settled there.

Roanoake, or “The Lost Colony” as it has come to be called, is an actual mystery right out of early American history. Many ideas and theories have been put forward to explain the disappearance of the nearly 100 settlers, but no hard evidence has been discovered to say exactly which theory if any is the correct one. As for the word carved in the lone pillar “Croatoan”, what did that have to do with anything? Well according to those who’d come to check on the settlers in 1590, a plan had been set in place where that word would be left in plain sight if the settlers decided to pull up stakes and flee to another nearby island. The name of that island was Croatoan (today it is called Hatteras).

But again, there has been no solid evidence found to prove the settlers did indeed go that island. They might have been lost at sea, or changed their minds and dispersed elsewhere. No one knows. Again, it remains a mystery.

So what does this have to do with writing. Two words “inspiration” and “ideas”. With an unsolved mystery like this, a writer can have a lot of leeway to build an entire story around what might have happened. Now I was first introduced to the story of Roanoke when I was in grade school. Naturally I was immediately fascinated by the story and kept wondering what might have happened. Of course, being so young I never really did anything with it. But the idea of coming up with an explanation, even a fictional one always stayed with me.

Today, as I’ve gotten about 3/4’s of the way through my second novel, I’ve finally found a use for this historical mystery. The story does not focus around the mystery or Roanoke, but does utilize it in a very effective manner. Without giving too much away, I’m using a fictional scene of what happened to help demonstrate the power and age of the ‘Big Baddy’ in my novel. Something that has lasted for over 400 years and is still creating new terror in modern day.

But one does not have to simply rely on unsolved mysteries from history to get ideas. Oh no. History is chock full of events you can focus on or have play a part in your story. Disasters like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York 1911, is another example. According to the records the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, LOCKED and BLOCKED all emergency exits, effectively locking in their workers to make sure they got a full day’s work out of them. The conditions inside the factory were attrocious and extremely unsafe. Literally a disaster waiting to happen. And in 1911 it did. A fire broke out and raced throughout the building. And of course with the doors all locked, no one could get out. Many jumped to their deaths from the upper story windows rather than burn.

Now there is no mystery to what happened in that factory, just simple facts. But a writer can build a story around the circumstances leading up to and including such a disaster. It doesn’t have to be Triangle Factory fire. A fictional factory or place under similar conditions can be created along with reasons for the disaster. What if it had been done on purpose? Lives sacrificed, but for what reason?

History gives us a lot to work with. You only have to look into a subject that is of interest to you. Maybe it was a rumor or event you read about when you were a kid that always stuck with you. Or perhaps just curiosity or a fascination with a subject you have. Explore that subject through history and see if you get some ideas. There’s plenty for us to work with folks.

****THERE IS STILL TIME TO GET YOUR FREE KINDLE COPY OF “THE BRIDGE” ON AMAZON****

Up to this moment 247 people have already claimed their copy of my paranormal/mystery. You have until midnight tonight (Pacific Standard Time) to get your free copy. And if you’ve already gotten yours, spread the word and so your family, friends and networks can get their copy. Psychics, cops, ghosts and a terrifying secret hidden away inside a three hundred year old bridge await you in this book. Come and learn how the Para-Earth series begins in this first installment. You’ll be glad you did.

SIGNED TRADE PAPERBACK COPIES OF “THE BRIDGE” AVAILABLE FOR ONLY $10.00, LIMITED TIME!

These are not the 1st edition copies, these are the re-edited 2nd edition copies. Each one is $10.00 a piece, plus $3.00 shipping/handling in the United States. Anyone interested in getting one of these please let me know down in the comments section or e-mail me. Payments accepted through Paypal.

To celebrate my first novel “The Bridge” being #44 on Smashwords Horror Bestseller list of books over 100K words, I’m taking 50% off the price. It’s now available there for $1.50 for this weekend. So take advantage of it while you can. There’s 15 reviews on this page so you can get a good idea of what others have been saying about this strange blend of paranormal mystery and science fiction.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who took part in my “Hobbit Birthday Party Weekend”. Whether you picked up a copy of the book or helped promote it, thank you so much. We all know getting the word out about a brand new book is more than half the battle for Indie Authors. So this was a real shot in the arm. I’m pleased to say that 39 people took advantage and snapped up a free copy through Smashwords over the last 3 days. I felt somewhat vindicated for not going the KDP route, where I would have had to given them the exclusive e-book distribution and sales for up to 90 days. I know Amazon is bigger and has a wider reach, but I never felt right about cutting off Nook, Apple and other e-reader customers. So thanks for letting me know I did the right thing.

Now, I’ve never done a free e-book promotion before, so any of your more experienced authors please let me know if 39 was a good number or not. I’m still learning as I go along this path. As a result of the promotion I already got one 5 Star review that is now up on Smashwords. I’m hoping for many more reviews, since it helps promote more sales or so I’ve read.

Today I’ll be working on my e-press release kit and then a physical one as well. I also have to do research to find out who/where to send press releases to. This is seeming to be the next big hurdle for me so if anyone has advice please leave it here, it would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, book number 2 “THE SHIP” is coming along nicely. The first draft is about 1/3-1/2 done at this point. I’ll be doing more drafts of course to clean things up and make sure the pacing is going well. But even more importantly, to make sure I’m keeping the readers’ interest. The new book has a similar fun feel to the first, but it’s also feeling quite different to me. Mostly because I’m dealing with different leading characters, who were prominent in the first book. But now the focus is on these two women developing their new romantic relationship as well as dealing with new and old enemies. I’m trying to keep a balance between the nervous romance of two people getting to know each other more deeply, while also developing the secrets they haven’t shared. It’s an interesting experience for me as a writer. I know that in the end their relationship will have gone much further, but to make it happen gradually while not losing the fun ‘banter’ that a lot of people enjoyed in the first novel is quite a balancing act. But, this is still the first draft. Creating just the right balance is what 2nd and 3rd drafts (along with edits) are for.

Here is the cover I’ve created for my 2nd novel in the Para-Earth Series, which will be coming this Summer. I’m aiming for late-May or June for the release.

This story takes place during the one month lapse of time mentioned at the end of the first book “The Bridge”. It follows the adventures of Cassandra and Julie out on the west coast. Where they learn that not only is the evil they fought back in the first book truly gone, but a new threat has arisen from the depths of the Pacific. A threat known to Cassandra’s family and which is now hunting her…

Okay no advertising today. Just some updates. In the past two weeks I’ve been pretty busy with novel #2 “THE SHIP” which is a sequel to my first book “THE BRIDGE”. It takes up with two of the main characters from book 1, Cassandra and Julie and their trip to Santa Cruz California. The other leading characters from “THE BRIDGE” Alex and Veronica make brief appearances.

While visiting the west coast, Cassie and Julie, must come to terms with their experiences from the first book as well as their budding romantic relationship and how deeply entwined they wish to become with each other. But they must also deal with hidden dangers on not just one but 2 fronts. Two of the antagonists from the first book have followed them here and are watching them carefully. But even more importantly, a new danger has arisen from the depths of the ocean. And this new threat is known to Cassandra’s family from the day’s when her ghostly guardian Brandon was still alive.

I’ve been going to great lengths to keep the suspense and intrigue of the first novel alive in this book, while introducing new characters and situations, that in turn will lead to even more stories down the road. I’m very careful about always setting the stage for upcoming installments and try not to throw anything at my readers that will not one day come into play in the future. I’m striving to keep my audience fascinated and entertained as much as possible.

Now in addition to writing the second novel, I’ve also been working on the cover for the 2nd book. Here is a sample of the progress I’ve made on it. Keep in mind, it is not completed and there is more for me to add to this piece as I want to put in more elements to increase the ‘Eerie’ feel I’m striving for:

In other news, I managed to get “THE BRIDGE” on the shelves of 2 bookstores that carry Indie author Books. I’m hoping to get into contact with even more bookstores in the near future. I’m also expecting a phone call from a local radio station next week, to set up an on air interview. This will be my first one, so I’m both excited and nervous. I’ll be doing some research about being interviewed on radio to help prepare myself so I don’t embarrass myself.

That’s all for now. I’ll post again in a day or so with more news. Take care everyone.

My good news today is that I have finally set up my own Official Website. I did it through WiX which made it a free site. And while it did take me a few hours to put together, it was so worth it. I would highly recommend them to anyone else needing or thinking about putting together a website with little expense.

Now on the site you’ll find “The Bridge” of course, along with buttons linking you to the various formats available. You’ll also find news and information on my upcoming books, along with a time frame for when I hope to be releasing them. I’ve also supplied small synopsis for each one so my visitors can get an idea of what they can look forward to.

I hope you’ll all come and visit the site. I’m still updating and correcting a few areas, but overall the site is pretty much done.